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Old November 5, 2008, 10:58 AM   #5
carguychris
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Join Date: October 20, 2007
Location: Richardson, TX
Posts: 7,523
It was made in the spring or summer of 1943. FWIW your gun should have smooth walnut stocks, a lanyard loop on the butt, and a tiny "flaming bomb" U.S. military acceptance mark on the butt in front of the loop. Most Victories in this timeframe had "Black Magic" finish, which is a matte finish similar to parkerizing but more dark grey than black, and it tends to be thinner and more easily scratched. However, these guns were frequently refinished and fitted with aftermarket stocks when they were resold on the surplus market after the war.

The meaning of the "ADC 31704" marking is hard to nail down. A large number of Victories were issued to guards at public and private facilities that were deemed vital for the war effort, such as factories producing war materials. The marking could actually be an identifier used by a private corporation during the war.

In military service, these revolvers were most frequently issued to aircrewmen in the U.S. Army Air Force (predecessor to the USAF) and the Navy, or to sailors aboard Navy warships. However, the "ADC" abbreviation doesn't strike me as something with U.S. military significance.
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